Tag Archives: seek ye first

Me, top row 3rd from right with Continental Singers Tour G 1979 at Mount Rushmore

I became an active Christian a few years after what is now called ContemporaryChristian Music came on the scene. Back then it was simple called “Jesus Music.” Over the last 35 years or so I have seen this genre of Christian music morph from a small segment of the music scene to a rather large and profitable industry. I really don’t listen to too much of the new stuff in fact unless the artist was around in the late 1970s or early 1980s I probably wouldn’t know anything about them or their music.

In those days it was still possible to hang out with groups when they came into town. In 1979 the group The Sweet Comfort Band came to my hometown, Stockton California for a series of concerts in local high schools (God forbid this happen today) culminating with a Friday night concert at one of the larger churches in town. The guys were down to earth and real and talked about real life, even movies not just church. That was eye opening because it kind of blew away my idea that “Christian” artist were somehow a step above the rest of us. These guys showed me that Christians could be down to earth and able to relate to people. I was able to meet others at the 1979 Continental Singers rehearsal camp as I prepared to go as a Spotlight Technician with the Continental Singers Tour G.

When this genre of music first came out the record labels that carried the new contemporary artists were either labels that had previously carried gospel singers such as Word and Light and start ups such as Maranatha! Music, Sparrow/Birdwing Music and Larry Norman’ Solid Rock Records. When larger secular labels discovered that there was money to be made they acquired most of these labels giving them more visibility but I think less independence than they had previously.

The music was as diverse and the artists performing the songs, everything from rock and country rock, to jazz and middle of the road music. Some artists had been successful secular recording artists before becoming Christians or rediscovering the faith that they had grown up with. The music varied in quality, some groups were very good and even pushed the edges of artistic license allowed in Evangelical Christianity while others were not that good and were pushed into the limelight because they had long hair and played guitars. Some of the bands such as Love Song would achieve a certain status in Contemporary Christian music that long outlived the length of time that they were in existence. Some bands were one album wonders while some like Daniel Amos remained together for many years.

But in this essay I’m going to go back in time and look at some of the early artists and their music beginning in the early 1970s and ending in the mid-1980s. This is kind of an arbitrary line because in 1984 I left the United States for a three year tour with the Army in Germany where I lost track of most of what was going on in Christian music and when I returned did not find the newer artists as much to my liking. For me it was simply a matter of musical preference. It is hard to find much of this music now. Many songs were only on LPs and produced in limited quantities. Since many were obscure and this was before the digital age very few video recordings exist for many groups. As such some people have taken audios and mixed them with slide shows or videos or the videos are from “reunion” type concerts 20-30 years after the songs were first introduced.

The interesting thing was that many Christians had a hard time with both Daniel Amos and the Sweet Comfort Band. The members of SBC were frequently berated for their jazz, rock, funk style by Christians who felt that the style was “of the Devil” and both groups frequently played for free on places like the Sunset Strip because they felt it was more important to play for non-believers than believers. Wow, imagine that? When one looks at much of what is called “Contemporary Christian Music” now these groups stand in stark contrast. They were not playing for the approval and entertainment of Christians.

Other artists emerged outside of Calvary Chapel, some who had been successful in their own right prior to becoming Christians such as Barry McGuire who had been with Credence Clearwater Revival, had been in the musical Hair and had his own hit Eve of Destruction for which he is best known. McGuire’s music is harder to find online and much of what is now available comes from a series of concerts with Peter York, Phil Keaggy, Terry Talbot and others on the music of the 1960s. However Eve of Destruction http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntLsElbW9Xo and his post conversion song Calling me Home http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxoRzqZnP98&feature=related make for interesting listening. Barry still tours and is still entertaining. I remember seeing him a number of times in Sacramento in the late 1970s at a church called The Warehouse.

Another artist on the label was John Michale Talbot who along with his brother Terry had been founding members of the group Mason Proffit before becoming Christians. John Michael produced two albums on the label before his conversion to Roman Catholicism where he became a lay Franciscan. He remained on the label for years producing albums which helped introduce a generation of contemporary Christian listeners to the liturgy and Catholic spirituality. His album The Lord’s Supper was a breakthrough as he adapted music from the Mass into a beautiful album. His adaptation of the Apostle’s Creed http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NxACNt-QRAo was amazing in its musical style and difficulty and his Holy is His Name http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9aYecuDlDYM is an enduring classic. Talbot’s brother Terry also recorded on Sparrow one song which is entitled No Longer Alone. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xR0KBRO-e7g

Other groups have passed into obscurity with their albums nearly impossible to find. The early “Jesus Music” often produced in primitive studios was certainly sincere it varied in quality as well as theological content. At the same time the early artists pioneered new ways of expressing their faith in music which has influenced the music of churches that in the 1970s considered such music to still be “the Devil’s music.” I could go on to write about other artists but most of those came later and really don’t fall into the early years that I am trying to limit this musical essay to, but the fact is that these artists as well as others changed Christian music. The impact has been mixed while there is much positive in the music many Christians and churches threw out their musical and theological heritage in the rush to become more relevant. Likewise the absorption of Christian music labels into secular labels which were later acquired by multinational entertainment groups is not necessarily a good thing because those corporations are totally profit driven and undoubtedly influenced the content, theology and style of the music produced by current artists causing some of the older artists to become independents.

Padre Steve and Judy back in the Day

I guess in the long run we will see the fruit of this movement, the good and the bad and hopefully the good will outweigh the bad and maybe, just maybe the music will again be the music of the church and not merely of publishing houses that sell a product to churches.

Welcome!

Zum Wohl!

Comment Policy

Friends of Padre Steve's World
I welcome comments, even those which disagree with my positions and articles. I have done this for years, but recently I have been worn out by some people.
I have just a couple of rules for comments. First, be respectful of me and other commentators. If you are even if I disagree with you your comment will be posted and I will respond accordingly.
That being said I will not allow people to hijack the comment section to push their religious or ideological views. Unless the comment deals with the meat of the article, don't expect me to allow you to preach.
Nor will I allow spam comments. Most of those are automatically blocked by Wordpress but some do get through.
Peace
Padre Steve+

Padre Steve's World Season Attendance

7,404,274 Manic Moderates

Subscribe to Padre Steve's World

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

DISCLAIMER

ALL ARTICLES THAT I POST ON THIS SITE REFLECT MY PERSONAL VIEWS, OR IF I POST ANOTHER WRITER'S WORK ARE VIEWS THAT I FIND INTERESTING OR INFORMATIVE. LINKS TO OTHER SITES ARE PROVIDED BECAUSE I FIND THEM INTERESTING, INFORMATIVE, INSPIRATIONAL, FUNNY, OR BECAUSE I KNOW THE AUTHORS, AND NOT BECAUSE THEY REFLECT MY VIEWS OR BECAUSE I NECESSARILY AGREE WITH THEM, ALTHOUGH THERE ARE SOME THAT I DO AGREE WITH, THOUGH HALF THE TIME I CAN'T REMEMBER WHICH ONES THAT I OR AGREE OR DISAGREE.

THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY ME ON THIS SITE DO NOT REFLECT THE VIEWS OF ORGANIZATIONS TO WHICH I BELONG NOW OR THAT I EVER IN MY LIFE HAVE BELONGED; INCLUDING THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT, THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE, THE UNITED STATES NAVY, THE JOINT FORCES STAFF COLLEGE, THE APOSTOLIC CATHOLIC ORTHODOX CHURCH, MY WIFE JUDY, MY DOGS, MY MOM, MY DRINKING BUDDIES, OR ANY OTHER GROUP THAT I BELONG TO, PAST AND PRESENT, INCLUDING COLLEGE AND HIGH SCHOOL ALUMNI ASSOCIATIONS, SPORTS FAN CLUBS, OR FACEBOOK GROUPS. SUCH EXTENDS TO ANY TRACE OF MYSELF IN THIS UNIVERSE, PAST LIVES, OR IN PARALLEL/ ALTERNATE UNIVERSES.

ANY REBROADCAST, RETRANSMISSION, REBROADCAST , OR ACCOUNT OF THIS BLOG, WITHOUT THE EXPRESS WRITTEN CONSENT OF MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL, IS PROHIBITED.